Reviewing an exhibition space contract

An exhibition space contract is signed a year before the show, on the organiser's form, for a stand the organiser may move, at a show the organiser may cancel, with cancellation charges that rise to the full fee months before the doors open. The exhibitor also takes on the exhibitor manual, the venue's rules and responsibility for the stand it builds. I review the contract from the exhibitor's side and return it marked up with a written explanation of the changes and which ones an organiser will accept, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Businesses in England and Wales booking space at a trade show, consumer exhibition, conference exhibition or agricultural show, whether a shell scheme stand or space only for a custom build, and want to know what they are committing to and what they can recover if the show changes. The exhibitor and the organiser are businesses.

What to look for in an exhibition space contract

Stand allocation, relocation and the floor plan

The contract should identify the stand by number, size and position on a floor plan, and the review checks the organiser's right to change the floor plan, to reduce the stand or to relocate the exhibitor. Organisers reserve that right without limit; the review asks for relocation only where necessary, to a stand of equivalent size and prominence, with notice, and with a refund of the difference or a right to cancel where the new position is materially worse.

Cancellation charges and the sliding scale

Exhibitor contracts set cancellation charges that rise by date to the full fee, and treat a request to reduce space as a cancellation of the difference. A cancellation charge is enforceable if it protects the organiser's legitimate interest and is not out of all proportion to it, applying Cavendish Square Holding BV v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67, and organisers argue that a full fee is justified because space cannot be resold late. The review asks for the charge to be reduced where the organiser resells the space, for the scale to start later, and for the deposit to be the limit of the exhibitor's exposure until a stated date.

Cancellation, postponement or change of venue by the organiser

The clause for the organiser's own cancellation will offer a credit against the next edition rather than a refund, and the force majeure clause will let the organiser postpone, relocate or move the show online while keeping the fee. The review asks for a refund where the show is cancelled, a right to withdraw with a refund where it is postponed beyond a stated period or moved to another venue or online, and a pro rata refund where the show's opening days or hours are cut.

Stand build, health and safety and the exhibitor manual

The exhibitor is responsible for its stand, its contractors and its staff. A space-only stand build is construction work to which the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply, with the exhibitor as client under regulation 4, and the exhibitor owes duties to those affected by its activities under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The venue's fire safety requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and electrical requirements under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 come through the exhibitor manual. The review checks that the manual is identified and fixed, that changes to it are notified, and that the organiser's power to close a stand for non-compliance carries a right to remedy first.

Liability, insurance and the organiser's exclusions

The organiser will exclude liability for loss of or damage to exhibits, for theft, for failure of services to the stand and for the number of visitors, and will require the exhibitor to carry public liability insurance and to indemnify the organiser and the venue. As occupier of the stand area the exhibitor owes visitors the common duty of care under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957, so insurance is needed anyway. The review checks that the organiser's exclusions are subject to the reasonableness test in section 3 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, that the organiser remains liable for its own negligence and for failing to open the show, and that the indemnity is limited to the exhibitor's own acts.

Visitor data, lead scanning and marketing

The organiser sells lead-scanning services and visitor lists. The review checks what personal data the exhibitor receives, whether visitors were told at registration that scanning their badge shares their details with the exhibitor, and that the exhibitor becomes a controller of that data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 with its own duty to give privacy information. Marketing emails after the show require consent or the soft opt-in under regulation 22 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies to the space fee and any sums due back.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

We need to pull out of the show. Do we owe the full fee?

That depends on the cancellation scale and the date, and late cancellation charges rise to the full fee. The review checks whether the charge is proportionate to the organiser's real loss, asks for a reduction where the space is resold, and identifies the date after which the exposure becomes the whole fee.

The organiser has moved our stand to the back of the hall. Can it do that?

Standard exhibitor contracts reserve an unlimited right to change the floor plan. The review asks for relocation to be limited to what is necessary, to an equivalent position, on notice, with a refund of the difference or a right to cancel where the new position is materially worse.

Who is responsible if a visitor is injured on our stand?

You are, as occupier of the stand, alongside the organiser and the venue, and the contract will require you to indemnify them. The review checks the insurance you must carry, limits the indemnity to your own acts and omissions, and keeps the organiser liable for the parts of the hall it controls.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795
• Reviewing an event sponsorship contract

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.